CRICKET.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 142, 2 November 1912, Page 7

CRICKET.

THURSDAY FIXTURES. The fixtures for the first round in the North Taranaki Cricket Association's Robertson Cup competition are as follow:

November 7. —New Plymouth v. Boys' High School, at High School Groand; Inglewood A v. Urenui, at Inglewood; Inglewood B v. Waitara, at Waitara. November 1,4. —New Plymouth v. Inglewood A, at Inglewood-; Inglewood B v. Boys' High School, at High School Ground; Urenui v. Waitara, at Urenui.

November 21. —New Plymouth v. Urenui, at New Plymouth; Inglewood A v. Inglewood B, at Inglewood; Waitara v. Boys' High School, at Waitara.

November 28.—New Plymouth v. Waitara, at New Plymouth; Inglewood A v. Boys' High School, at High School Ground; Inglewood B v. Urenui, at Inglewood, December s.—New Plymouth v. Inglewood B, at Inglewood; Inglewood A v. Waitara, at Waitara; Urenui v. j'oys' .High School, at High School Ground.

Cricket has appartently taken a new lease of life in Waitara and long may it continue. Players at present are very numerous in the river port, and it is confidently expected that two teams will be able to be put in the field consistently throughout the season. It was the intention of the Waitara Club to enter a senior and junior team in the Thursday competition, but as tine junior competition has not materialised, it is understood that the Club will enter hot!) an A and a B team in the senior division.

The season will open this afternoon with two matches—Law will play New Plymouth at the Sports Ground, and United Service will journey out to Inglewood to play the local eleven. Members of the respetcive teams have been putting in a fair amount of practice, and the local ground is in passable order. As regards the local match, it is expected that New Plymouth will find in last season's champions a hard nut to-crack. The New Plymouth team will comprise: N. Arden, E. L. Mason, E. Holden, S. Okey, L. Sheppard, N. C. Harding, B. Stohr, G. Newall, A. G. Monk, B. Green and G. B. Hooker; emergency, F. A. Bamfield.

Southall, the erstwhile Taranaki rep., is playing this season for Wellington North juniors. Tikorangi cricketers did not attend the general meeting last week, in large numbers, but the business before the meeting, viz., the considering ef a, proposal that the club should join the association and play in the cup fixtures, was proceeded with. It was found that as several of the club's members 1 intend to play for adjoining clubs—Urenui and Waitara —it is improbable that Tikorangi will join the Association. Under the new system adopted by the South Australian Cricket Association, the catains of the A grade teams will select 16 players whom they consider most suitable for the inter-State teams, and the first eleven will be chosen from them by a selection committee of three. That committee will be nominated by the A grade captains, and submitted to the Association for approval. : Tom Richardson, the famous Surrey and England cricketer, who .'died at St. Jean D'Avrey, France, on July 2 last, aged 41 years, left estate of the gross value of £"629 17s, of which the net personalty has been sworn at £l3B Is Id. He left "to his son, Tom William Richardson, to devolve as heirlooms, the cricket balls presented to liint during his cricket career, and all his cricketing mementoes, his watch and chain, and personal jewellery." . ....'. A batsman cannot be stumped off a no-ball. Such is the effect of n recent addition by the M.C.C. to Law 28.

'Mr.P.'F: Warner''has - contributed a lerigthy article on the Imperial cricket tournament to the Westminster Gazette. The Australians he states were good in bowling and fielding. There was plenty of variety in the attack with Hazlitt and Whitty the two best in that department. He regarded Hazlitt as a really fine medium-paced bowler, with a very difficult flight, and his nome was another to be added to the long list of right-hand, medium-paced Australian bowlers who had distinguished themselves in England. Whitty's graceful action, high arm, and pace off the pitch made him an excellent left-arm bowler. and he would return to Australia with a greatly increased reputation. Day.in and day out he was the best bowler on the side. Matthews was singularly successful against the South Africans, and his ''hat trick" at Manchester, would probably never be equalled in the history of test matches. On English wickets he was a good leg-break bowler, with a capital length, and with some life in his medium-paced deliveries; but be could not. Mr. Warner thinks, expect great success on the adamantine pitches in Australia. Emery, in his figures, in the test matches, was a failure, but he was a bowler of very great possibilities., Macartney on a sticky wicket has very decidedly to be considered. Of a fine lot of fielders, Macartney at mid-off, Hazlitt at short-leg or point, Matthews on the off-side or at short-lea', and Bardsley in

'•'the country."' conspicuous; while Carkeek kepi, v.iekct soundly, and has improved. The batting of the Australians, he points out, was not strong, too much reliance being placed on Bardsley, Macartney and Kelleway. Macartney's 99 at Lord's against England was a glorious display. Bardsley is a wonderfully sound left-hand batsman, and Kelleway, if unattractive to watch, is a very fine defensive, batsman. Mr. ner* concludes with the hope that'in the interests of the world's cricket things have been smoothed over in Australia, and that harmony w?TI reign in the future. Tt had been proved, as was all along expected, that Australian without four or five of her greatest players bad no chance with England. Trumpcrsand Hills did not arise every day.

A new suggestion for the alteration of cricket rules and the Improvement of the same has been made by the ex-Austra-lian bowler, E. R. Spofforth. He'suggests that every maiden over shall count two runs to the fielding side. The proposal was brought before Dr. Hordeim the famous "googly" bowler, who told a Svdnev Sun reporter that he did not tliink much of the idea, although anything to help the bowlers not unnaturally was commendable to him. "But," he a'dded, "I am afraid if Spofforth's suggestion were made a rule you would find some of us bowling leg and off theory all the time—in short, to get runs for our side by bowling as far away from the batsman as the. wide mark would let us. Still, it might add to the gaiety of the game. It would be great to see some of the batsmen chasing after the ball to save those two runs. No, 1 don't tliink the idea will do." Other prominent cricketers held similar views, every one of them regarding the proposition as absurd.